6
Newness of life
1 So what shall we say? Shall we continue in the sin so that the grace may abound? 2 Of course not! How can we who died to sin keep on living in it? 3 Or are you unaware that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?* In Paul's day (at least) there were those who thought that the physical rite of circumcision was a passport to heaven. We have already seen in Romans 2:25-29 that Paul rejects that notion—God looks on the heart. In our day there are those who think that the physical rite of water baptism is a similar passport, but we probably all know individuals who had their ‘bath’ and are now living for Satan—God looks on the heart. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 explains that it is the Holy Spirit who baptizes us into Christ: “…so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.” If we become part of Christ's body, then whatever happens to that body happens to us. If that body died, we did. If it was buried, so were we. If it was raised from the dead, we will be too. Correction—we already have new life in Christ, and are to live on that basis. 4 Therefore, we were buried with Him by means of that baptism into that death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by means of the Father's glory, we also should walk in newness of life.
5 Now if we have become united with Him in His death, we will certainly be in His resurrection as well; 6 knowing this, that our old self† Literally ‘man’. The reference is to the old, or fallen, nature, with which we are all born. Only those who are regenerated by the Holy Spirit acquire a new one. was crucified with Him in order that the body of the sin‡ That is, the body that resulted from ‘the sin’ (Adam's); that is, a fallen body, whose natural inclination is not toward holiness. might be set aside, so that we no longer be enslaved to that sin— 7 because he who has died has been released from that sin.§ Presumably a dead person does not do much sinning.
8 Now since we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, cannot die again;* No one kills Jesus twice. Consider Hebrews 6:4-6: “Because, it is impossible to bring back into repentance those who were once for all enlightened, who have partaken of the heavenly gift and were made sharers in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have experienced God's good event and capabilities of the coming age, 6 and yet have fallen away—they would be crucifying the Son of God all over again, just for themselves, holding Him up to contempt.” No amount of theological shifting and squirming can nullify the plain meaning of verse 6. The only way to crucify Jesus again is if you have already done so once before. No one is going to kill Jesus twice; if the first time was not good enough for you, you have had it! As He Himself said in John 10:17-18: “Therefore my Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.” He laid it down once, freely, but that is all. death can no longer master Him 10 —the death He died He died to sin once for all, while the life He lives He lives to God. 11 Thus you also, consider yourselves to be dead indeed to the sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.† Some 3.5% of the Greek manuscripts omit “our Lord”, to be followed by NIV, NASB, TEV, LB, etc.—an inferior proceeding.
Down with sin!
12 Therefore do not let the sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey it with the body's evil desires 13 —do not present any part‡ Literally, ‘the members’. of your body to sin as an implement for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead, and your body parts to God as implements for righteousness. 14 Really, sin must not rule over you, because you are not under law but under grace.
Grace, not license
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Of course not! 16 Do you not know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey them as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether of sin into death, or of obedience into righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that although you used to be the slaves of the sin you wholeheartedly obeyed that pattern of doctrine into which you were delivered. 18 So having been emancipated from the sin, you became enslaved to the righteousness.§ Recall the note about slaves at Romans 1:1.
19 I continue to speak on a human level because of the weakness of your flesh. Now just as you used to present your body parts as slaves to uncleanness, and to ever increasing lawlessness,* Sin, and mere gratification of physical desire, obey the law of diminishing returns. To maintain the same ‘kick’ from any drug, you have to keep increasing the dose—this is a slavery that keeps on dragging you down to ever lower levels. so now present your body parts as slaves to righteousness with a view to sanctification. 20 For when you were slaves to the sin, you were ‘free’ from the righteousness. 21 So what ‘fruit’ did you have at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? The end of those things is death!† Yea, verily! 22 But now, having been emancipated from the sin, and having become enslaved to God, you have your ‘fruit’ into sanctification—and the end is eternal life! 23 Because the wages of sin is death,‡ Sin results in two deaths, physical and spiritual. The spiritual one is by far the more important since it lasts for eternity. Belonging to Jesus does not exempt us from physical death, but it does from the spiritual one—He gives us eternal life instead of eternal death. Eternal death means eternal separation from the Creator, presumably a conscious state. but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

*6:3 In Paul's day (at least) there were those who thought that the physical rite of circumcision was a passport to heaven. We have already seen in Romans 2:25-29 that Paul rejects that notion—God looks on the heart. In our day there are those who think that the physical rite of water baptism is a similar passport, but we probably all know individuals who had their ‘bath’ and are now living for Satan—God looks on the heart. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 explains that it is the Holy Spirit who baptizes us into Christ: “…so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.” If we become part of Christ's body, then whatever happens to that body happens to us. If that body died, we did. If it was buried, so were we. If it was raised from the dead, we will be too. Correction—we already have new life in Christ, and are to live on that basis.

†6:6 Literally ‘man’. The reference is to the old, or fallen, nature, with which we are all born. Only those who are regenerated by the Holy Spirit acquire a new one.

‡6:6 That is, the body that resulted from ‘the sin’ (Adam's); that is, a fallen body, whose natural inclination is not toward holiness.

§6:7 Presumably a dead person does not do much sinning.

*6:9 No one kills Jesus twice. Consider Hebrews 6:4-6: “Because, it is impossible to bring back into repentance those who were once for all enlightened, who have partaken of the heavenly gift and were made sharers in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have experienced God's good event and capabilities of the coming age, 6 and yet have fallen away—they would be crucifying the Son of God all over again, just for themselves, holding Him up to contempt.” No amount of theological shifting and squirming can nullify the plain meaning of verse 6. The only way to crucify Jesus again is if you have already done so once before. No one is going to kill Jesus twice; if the first time was not good enough for you, you have had it! As He Himself said in John 10:17-18: “Therefore my Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.” He laid it down once, freely, but that is all.

†6:11 Some 3.5% of the Greek manuscripts omit “our Lord”, to be followed by NIV, NASB, TEV, LB, etc.—an inferior proceeding.

‡6:13 Literally, ‘the members’.

§6:18 Recall the note about slaves at Romans 1:1.

*6:19 Sin, and mere gratification of physical desire, obey the law of diminishing returns. To maintain the same ‘kick’ from any drug, you have to keep increasing the dose—this is a slavery that keeps on dragging you down to ever lower levels.

†6:21 Yea, verily!

‡6:23 Sin results in two deaths, physical and spiritual. The spiritual one is by far the more important since it lasts for eternity. Belonging to Jesus does not exempt us from physical death, but it does from the spiritual one—He gives us eternal life instead of eternal death. Eternal death means eternal separation from the Creator, presumably a conscious state.

© 2016 Wilbur N. Pickering, ThM, PhD